Bir-Billing sees rush of paragliding enthusiasts

Palampur, December 29

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To celebrate New Year, hundreds of paragliding enthusiasts and tourists from neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir are reaching Bir-Billing.

Paragliding activities had almost come to a standstill in the last two years because of the Covid pandemic. However, a visit to the area revealed that most of the hotels in Bir are packed to capacity.

For the first time in the past six months, such a huge inflow of tourists has been witnessed at the paragliding destination. Other tourist destinations in the Kangra valley such as Palampur and Gopalpur are also receiving a large number of visitors this winter.

The state Tourism Department is making efforts to revive the tourism industry. Hoteliers have also claimed that they are following all the Covid guidelines issued by the government.

The tourism sector plays a significant role in the economy of the state and is a major source of employment, contributing over seven per cent to the state’s GDP. The second wave of Covid in April last year had adversely hit the state’s economy.

Bir Billing is considered as one of the best paragliding sites in Asia and the world. The two villages are also a popular destination for eco-tourism, meditation and spiritual studies.

Host of the Paragliding World Cup in 2018, Bir-Billing is fast emerging as a popular destination among paragliding enthusiasts and adventure sports lovers across the world.